Sep 24
30
“A Merciful and Faithful High Priest” Hebrews 2:17
It is this conformity to us that qualifies our Lord to be the kind of Priest we need. He was made a man that he might be our High Priest. And he suffered, being tempted as a man, that he might be “a merciful and faithful high priest.”
Christ is moved to compassion and pity by the things that we suffer, being touched with the feeling of our infirmities, because he has also suffered those very things. He is merciful, not only because it is his will as God to be merciful, but also because he has a fellow feeling with those who need mercy.
Our Saviour faithfully shows mercy to us because the things he suffered, he suffered specifically and distinctly for us. He exercises constant care for all the concerns of his brethren. He lovingly condescends to the wants and sorrows of his suffering, tempted brethren (Isaiah 40:11). Because his compassion does not fail, his faithfulness is great.
Such is the unspeakable love of Christ for us that he willingly endured all that was necessary for him to be our merciful and faithful High Priest. Like Jacob because of his love to Rachel, our Lord was content to submit to any terms, to undergo any sorrow, to meet any conditions, that he might save and enjoy his beloved bride (Ephesians 5:25-26). Don Fortner
The Gospel is not an offer. An offer presupposes a man’s ability to accept or reject the offer. To offer life to one who is dead in sins would be absurd and insincere. God does not offer life. He gives it! “And you hath He quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins.” Did Christ offer life to Lazarus? Of course not! “Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth.”
Todd Nibert
Noah was called a preacher of righteousness. For 120 years he preached a holy and righteous God, and Christ the believer’s righteousness. Think about it. He preached for 120 years and did not see one convert . . . not one! Not one person came into that ark, except his family. But then. Imagine how grateful Noah was for those 7 souls . . . his family. I’ll bet Noah continued preaching afterward . . . to just 7 souls. And he was mighty thankful for this little congregation.
P. Mahan
“But by the grace of God-I am what I am!” 1 Corinthians 15:10
John MacDuff
This is the believer’s eternal confession!
Grace found him a rebel against
God-it leaves him a son of God!
Grace found him wandering at the gates of Hell-it leaves him at the
gates of Heaven!
Grace devised the scheme of Redemption.
Justice never would; reason never could.
And it is grace which carries out that scheme.
No sinner would ever have sought God-but “by grace.” The thickets of
Eden would have proved Adam’s grave-had not grace called him
out! Saul would have lived and died the haughty self-righteous
persecutor-had not grace laid him low! The thief on the cross would
have continued breathing out his blasphemies-had not grace arrested his tongue
and tuned it for glory!
“Out of the knottiest timber,” says Rutherford, “God
can make vessels of mercy for service in the high palace of
glory!”
“I came, I saw, I conquered!” may be inscribed by the Saviour on
every monument of His grace. “I came to the
sinner; I looked upon him; and with a look of omnipotent
love-I conquered him!”
Believer, you would have been this day a wandering star, to whom is
reserved the blackness of darkness forever! You would have been Christless,
hopeless, and portionless; had not grace constrained you! And
it is grace which, at this moment, “keeps” you.
You have often been a Peter-forsaking your Lord-but brought back to
Him again. Why have you not been a Demas or a Judas? “I
have prayed for you-that your faith fail not!” Is not this your own
comment and reflection on life’s retrospect: “Yet not I-but the
grace of God which was with me!”
Seek to realise your dependence on this grace every moment.
“More grace! more grace!” needs to be your continual cry.
His infinite supply-is commensurate with your infinite need.
The treasury of grace, though always emptying-is always full.
The key of prayer which opens it-is always at hand!
And the Almighty Bestower of the blessings of grace-is always
“waiting to be gracious.”
The recorded promise can never be cancelled or reversed:
“My grace is sufficient for you.”
The grace of God is the source of lesser temporal blessings-as
well as of higher spiritual blessings. Grace accounts for the crumb
of daily bread-as well as for the crown of eternal glory!
But even in regard to earthly mercies, never forget the CHANNEL of grace: “through
Christ Jesus!” It is sweet thus to connect every blessing, even
the smallest and humblest token of providential bounty-with Calvary’s cross-to
have the common blessings of life stamped with “the print
of the nails!” It makes them doubly precious to think, “All
this flows from Jesus!”
“But by the grace of God-I am what I am!”
Reader! seek to dwell much on this inexhaustible theme!
“And this is the record, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” 1 John 5:11
J.C.Philpot
How often we are looking and looking in vain for life in ourselves. True it is that if God has quickened our souls we are partakers of life divine, of life spiritual, of life eternal, of the life that is in Christ and comes from Christ; and yet how often we vainly seek to find it warm and glowing in our breasts. If once given it never dies; but it is often hidden beneath the ashes, and thus though it slowly burns and dimly glows, yet the ashes hide it from view, and we only know it is there by some remains of warmth. “Your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3); and therefore not only hidden as treasured and stored up safely in God, but hidden from the world, and even hidden from the eyes of its possessor.
Christ is our life. There is no other. To look, then, for life in ourselves independent of and distinct from the fountain of life is to look for that in the creature which is lodged in the divine Creator, is to look for that in man which dwells in the God-man; to look for that in self which is out of self, embosomed in the fullness of the Son of God. And it is not merely that life is in him, but he is the life itself. As the sun not only has light and heat, but is light itself and heat itself, so the blessed Lord not only grants life, but he himself is what he grants. As a fountain not only gives water, but is itself all water, so Christ not only gives what he is, but is all that he gives. Not only, therefore, is he the “resurrection,” centering in himself everything, both for time and eternity, which resurrection contains and resurrection implies, but he is “the life,” being in himself a fountain of life, out of which he gives from his own fullness to the members of his mystical body.
“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life.” 1 Timothy 6:12
J.C.Philpot
It is through faith that the power whereby God keeps his people, acts and is made known, and it is very instructive and encouraging to be able to trace in our own hearts the connection between the power of God and the actings of faith. We are not carried to heaven as passengers are carried by the express train, so that if once in the carriage they may go to sleep, look out of the window, or read the newspaper without fear of losing their way, or not reaching their destination. Though kept by the power of God, we have to fight every step of the way.
It is this living, fighting, struggling, and yet eventually conquering faith, which sets the tried and exercised child of God at such a distance from the loose and careless doctrinal professor, who is hardened and emboldened to presume, and even walk in ways of sin and death by holding the doctrine of being kept by the power of God, without knowing anything of the secret way by which this power works and keeps. To such we may adapt the language of James. You believe that the elect of God are kept by his Almighty power unto salvation. “You do well; the devils also believe and tremble”–which you do not if you be one of these loose professors. But does God keep you? Does he keep you from evil, that it may not grieve you? Does he keep your eye single, your conscience tender, your heart prayerful, your life and walk circumspect, your eye from adultery, your tongue from folly, your hands from covetousness, and your feet from the ways of pride and worldliness? You have no evidence that you are an heir of God and are being kept by his power unto salvation, unless you have some experience how he keeps, and that as it is by power on his part, so it is through faith on yours. Whenever we slip, stumble, or go astray, it is through the power of unbelief; and whenever we stand, fight, or prevail, it is by faith.
This is the Record
“This is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life.” (1 John 5:11-12)
God, in his infinite wisdom, planned and permitted the fall of our race in the garden. Man was ruined by sin. Guilt filled the wretched pair with fear and cut them off from all hope before God. In sin, spiritual death, and despair, with the curse of God upon them, our first parents “fled from the presence of the Lord, and hid themselves.”
Then, sovereign mercy, love, and grace interposed. The poor, guilty, trembling partners in woe were called before the offended, justly provoked Lord God. How they must have trembled! Did the Lord God call them before him in fury, clothed with vengeance? Were they about to hear their sentence of eternal doom to destruction? Would hell be opened to swallow them up? No. Be astonished, O heavens! Rejoice, apostate sons and daughters of Adam! Adam and Eve were called of God to hear a record of that which was performed in the eternal council of heaven in covenant grace before the world was made. The light of eternal mercy shined forth in the earth darkened by their sin. Instead of anticipated gloom, they heard the good news of sovereign grace! Instead of wrath, mercy was declared to the fallen pair! Instead of woe, the boundless blessings of grace were bestowed upon them! Instead of eternal death, the God of all grace interposed to give them everlasting life! Instead of everlasting misery in hell, the everlasting bliss of heaven was bestowed upon their trembling souls!
Fallen man did not seek the Lord, beg for pardon, and sue for grace. No. Fallen man fled from the presence of the Lord. But the Lord sought sinful man, with everlasting love in his heart, to proclaim the joyful news of eternal life as the free gift of unmerited grace and mercy in and by the Seed of the woman, Jesus Christ. Glorious record of love! Blessed testimony of life! Joyful tidings of grace!
Have you heard, known, and believed this record? “Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities!” Behold and admire the wisdom as well as the love of God. In this rejoice always. Be humble continually. Life, eternal life, is given to us in and by Christ, the woman’s Seed. Our “life is hid with Christ in God.”
If Christ dwells in our hearts by faith, we have God’s beloved Son; we have eternal life. The report of this is joyful to our ears. This is heaven on earth. It fills our souls with the joyful hope, confidence, and assurance of future glory. This life that is ours in Christ animates our souls. “Because I live,” he said, “ye shall live also.” God has given us eternal life. And he is faithful. He will not revoke his own precious free gift. Our all-glorious Christ has conquered every enemy and defeated every foe that might prevent our enjoyment of eternal life. God the Holy Spirit has given us a vital-union with Christ that can never be broken. We are joined unto the Lord, and are one spirit with him (1 Cor. 6:17)
Don Fortner
“Christ Who Is Our Life”
Colossians 3:4
Christ is life (John 11:25; 14:6). Apart from him there is nothing but death. He is the Source of life, the Strength of life, the Sum of life and the Object of life. All life is in Christ. By nature we are all dead, spiritually dead, without life before God. But there is life in Christ for sinners. That life which is in Christ may be described in three ways:
1. JUDICIAL LIFE – When a guilty criminal is pardoned, he has his life restored to him in a legal sense. While he is under the sentence of the law, his life is held under the bondage of the law’s penalty. When he is pardoned, the law releases its hold upon him. In just that sense Christ is our life! He promises that all who believe on him “shall not come into condemnation; but (are) passed from death unto life” (John 5:24). “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son hath not life” (I John 5:12). The law of God will not release you from its hold and its condemnation until you come to Christ. He alone can give you life.
2. SPIRITUAL LIFE – Spiritual life is the life that is begotten in the soul by the Holy Spirit in regeneration (John 5:25; Gal. 2:20). When Adam sinned, we all died in him, in a legal, judicial sense. And we all died in him spiritually (Rom. 5:12). We were born without spiritual life. In the new birth the Spirit of God gives us a new life, a new will, a new nature. We are made “partakers of the divine nature” (II Pet. 1:4). Christ is formed in us (Col. 1:27). “You hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1).
3. ETERNAL LIFE – The Lord Jesus Christ says, with regard to his sheep, those chosen sinners for whom he suffered and died, “I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish” (John 10:28). That judicial life which Christ gives can never be revoked, for sin shall never be charged to those whom God has pardoned. That spiritual life which we have in Christ can never be destroyed, for that life is “Christ in you.” Until Christ can be destroyed the believer cannot perish! The Son of God declares, “Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die!” (John 11:26). Christ is our life. And in him we shall live forever!
Don Fortner